SALEM, Ore. – September 27, 2011 – This fall, hundreds of tons of fresh food will be harvested in Oregon and donated to Farmers Ending Hunger, a 7-year old non-profit created to bring nutritious food to those who need it most. Funds raised by the newly launched Adopt-an-Acre program will be used to harvest, process, store and distribute fresh food donated by dozens of family farms from the Columbia River Basin to the Willamette Valley and Southern Oregon. Once it is processed and packaged into food products like frozen and canned vegetables, ground beef and pancake mix, the food is delivered to Oregon Food Bank’s regional network for distribution in their food relief boxes, along with fresh fruit and vegetables like pears, cherries, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and winter squash.

“Oregon is one of the most productive growing regions in the country and also one of the hungriest,” said Farmers Ending Hunger Executive Director, John Burt. “In an average month, 72,000 children in Oregon eat meals from emergency food boxes. We were inspired to find another use for Oregon’s plentiful agricultural resources by asking farmers to provide fresh, nutritious food to those who need it the most.”

Adopt-an-Acre Campaign Seeks Donors

For a $500 contribution, families, institutions or individuals can adopt two acres or enough peas, corn or green beans to feed 33 families of four the recommended daily allowance of vegetables for one month. One half acre, a $100 contribution, provides 10 families of four with the recommended daily allowance of vegetables for one month. Or adopt a row for a $25 donation and give six families of four the recommended daily allowance of whole grains for one month. Visit Adopt-an-Acre (give website address) to make your donation or give a gift in honor of another person.

Individuals who adopt an acre can visit Farmers Ending Hunger to view an interactive map of the partner farms, read farmer profiles and learn which ingredients each local farmer is donating, from potatoes and pears to wheat, beans and cattle.

“It doesn’t take much time or effort to maintain an extra acre of corn or green beans that will be donated at the end of the season,” said Molly Pearmine McCargar, owner of Pearmine Farms in Gervais, OR. “It’s only appropriate that farmers should be helping to feed people who can’t feed themselves.”

Design a Mr. Potato Head at Area Farmers’ Markets

Farmers Ending Hunger will have a booth at various Portland area farmers’ markets where hands-on activities, including Build-A-Mr. Potato Head, will be offered for kids of all ages. Farmers market vendors and local farms will donate potatoes and other seasonal vegetables for kids to create their own Mr. Potato Head.

Visit us:

Saturday, October 8 – Beaverton Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Visit the Farmers Ending Hunger booth and design your very own Mr. Potato Head. Between 10 a.m. and noon, author Ashley Gartland will sign copies of her new cookbook, Dishing up Oregon, and cookbook drawings will take place throughout the day. For more information, visit www.beavertonfarmersmarket.com

Saturday, October 22, Portland Farmer’s Market, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Meet up at the Farmers Ending Hunger booth for a hands-on family activity: make your own Mr. Potato Head. At 11 a.m. chef Michael Broderick from Trader Vic’s will take the stage for a simplicity challenge; creating a meal for a family of four on a food assistance budget using seasonal produce. The market will also celebrate Food Day, a national movement designed to gather Americans from all walks of life to advocate for healthy, affordable, and sustainably produced food.

Eastern Oregon resident Fred Ziari created the nonprofit Farmers Ending Hunger in 2004 when he learned that Oregon was one of the hungriest states in the country. Farmers Ending Hunger gathers Oregon’s agricultural resources to help feed the hungry. Local family farmers, ranchers and growers donate a portion of the food crops they raise, and Adopt-an-Acre, a supplementary program seeks the operating funds necessary to harvest and process those same crops into frozen and canned food products that are easily stored and utilized, then distribute them to the hungry through Oregon Food Bank’s regional network. For information on how to contribute to Adopt-an-Acre, please visit www.farmersendinghunger.com or call Executive Director John Burt at 503-931-9232. Follow us on Facebook at Farmers Ending Hunger for news and events.